Press Release: CRG Unveils Refined Conceptual Design for Proposed Festus Data Center, Launches Community Information Website

FESTUS, MO (June 29, 2026) – CRG, the real estate development and investment arm of Clayco, today presented a refined conceptual design for its proposed Festus data center to city officials. The updated plan is meaningfully smaller than what is permitted under the existing Festus Data Center Ordinance and incorporates expanded setbacks, landscaped berms, closed-loop cooling, and other design features shaped by community feedback.

Alongside the presentation, CRG launched FestusForward.com, a dedicated website where residents can review project materials, follow updates as the proposal advances, submit questions, and access a copy of the presentation delivered to the city, along with additional context.

The conceptual plan reflects a deliberate effort to reduce the project’s scale. It calls for approximately 600 megawatts across four single-story buildings, roughly 40 percent smaller than CRG’s original concept. Under the proposal, the nearest residential home would be approximately 1,200 feet from any data center building. More than half of the site, approximately 188 acres or 52 percent of the property, would remain permanently preserved, protecting the ridgeline and existing tree buffers.

The facility would use a closed-loop cooling system that recycles water while producing little to no wastewater discharge. CRG has also committed to Tier 4 backup generators with testing limited to daytime hours.

“From the beginning, we said we would listen, and this plan reflects that commitment,” said Bob Clark, Executive Chairman and Founder of Clayco and CRG. “We challenged ourselves to build a better project, not simply the largest one we were entitled to build. The result is a smaller footprint, greater preservation, stronger buffers, and a design that responds directly to what we’ve heard from the people of Festus. Launching FestusForward.com is another step in that commitment. We want residents to have direct access to information, to ask questions, and to stay engaged as this process continues.”

Representing an estimated $6 billion investment, the project is expected to create approximately 1,000 construction jobs at peak and more than 200 permanent positions once operational.

CRG’s commitments to Festus include $40 million in community benefit payments over 10 years, $5 million toward a new firehouse, funding for a new workforce training center, no real property tax abatement, no cap on Gross Receipts Utility Tax, a $3 million pledge for residential relief if the electric usage exceeds 1 gigawatt, a voluntary residential buyout, and a $10 million developer-funded decommissioning bond. The company emphasized that today’s presentation marks another step in a long-term partnership with the city rather than the conclusion of the process.

“This presentation represents meaningful changes, not just commitments,” said Chris McKee, President of CRG. “We reduced the footprint, lowered the building heights, expanded the buffers, and increased the amount of land preserved because that’s what we heard from the community. FestusForward.com gives residents a direct line to us, and we intend to keep the conversation open, transparent, and productive as the project moves forward.”

Residents and members of the public are encouraged to visit FestusForward.com to review the presentation, submit questions, and sign up for project updates.